Pallavi Purkayastha's murder was pre-planned, say investigators

Advocate Pallavi Purkayastha, who used to stay in her rented Wadala flat along with her live-in partner, advocate Avik Sengupta, was molested and later killed by the society watchman, Sajjad Pathan (22)on August 9, 2012. He had slit her throat when she tried to raise an alarm.

Pathan was arrested within a few days after Pallavi's body had been found lying in a pool of blood in the flat on the 16th floor.

According to investigators, the guard had confessed to having stolen the house keys to gain entry into the house; he took her by surprise and tried to rape her. When she tried to resist, he hit her with a blunt object before stabbing her brutally.

However, even in that condition she managed to get out of the flat and ring her neighbour's doorbell. This was indicated by the blood stains in the corridor and the doorbell.

Pathan (22), a native of Uri in Jammu & Kashmir, was charged with murder, molestation and trespass.

Meanwhile, after the trial began, Pallavi's boyfriend whose statement had been recorded, died after having battled a brain ailment for over a year. He was also said to have been depressed after the murder.
Pallavi (25) was the daughter of an IAS officer in the ministry of agriculture in Delhi, and worked as legal adviser with filmmaker Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment.

Investigators say Pathan had been eying the young woman for some time and that the attack was pre-planned. According to them, when Pallavi returned home late at night, there was no power in the flat. She told her boyfriend about this, and on his advice called an electrician. After power was restored, she told Sengupta about it.

But some time later, power went off again, and she told him that she would just go to sleep if the electrician fails to turn up. But he did come, this time with the guard, and restored the supply. What she did not know was that the guard had stolen the keys that were lying on the kitchen platform.